The One Who Hung the Moon
by MooseDeEvita
Summary: AU Present Day. Peeta finally decides to make a move on Katniss, the shy Native girl from the Seam reservation that he has loved from a distance for years. Sparks fly when their worlds collide. M for sexual content.
1. A Wish in the Well

The One Who Hung the Moon

Author's Note: I've wanted to write this for quite some time. In this story Katniss is a Native girl living on the Seam reservation, and Peeta will be the boy from town who has always loved her. Thought it would be fun to write a present day story of their love. If you read my other story this one will be much dirtier.

Sparks fly when popular boy Peeta finally makes a move on shy Native girl Katniss, the girl he has loved from a distance for years.

Chapter 1: A Wish in the Well

Buttercup stretched his paws across my face, waking me up. I opened an eye and glared at him as I swatted him over onto Prim's side of the bed. He hissed at me and then curled up happily on top of Prim's stomach, letting out a purr as she sleepily rubbed him behind his ear. The old mattress was so lumpy that it was always an effort to climb out of it but I managed, pulling open the dusty curtains covering the windows so that the tiny room filled with light.

"Control your cat." I said, though I smiled as she peeked at me from under the pile of blankets.

"You love him deep down inside." Prim said through a yawn. "Let me sleep."

"Fine, but you're helping me clean when you do get up." I quickly braided my long black hair down my back.

Prim let out a little noise of agreement and waved me away from her as she pulled the blankets further over her head. I walked out the door into our living area, shaking my head at the mess my mother left around everywhere. The door to her room of course is closed tightly, she had taken down the door on our bedroom the minute I developed breasts and hung a thick wool blanket over the door frame instead but she locked herself in her room most nights so I didn't see a point in trying to take away my privacy.

The house was my father's, his grandfather built it when he first got married. I would probably describe it as a tin roofed cabin if I had to explain our house to someone; it only had electricity in the living room and kitchen. My father had been great at many things, but updating our house to the 21st century wasn't one of those things.

I could hear my phone going off and I dug through the pile of laundry my mom had started to find it. The screen showed Madge's smiling face, so I answered as I grabbed an apple on the counter and walked out onto the porch. I sat down on one of the rocking chairs that looked out on the holler of the mountain we lived on; I could see my neighbors directly across the road out in their backyard filling a tub with water from a hose. There was a dog sleeping at the edge of the porch who let out a loud snore.

"Hey! What're you up to right now?" Madge asked.

"Just got up, why?"

"Well since you're not doing anything you should get over here. Delly just told me she's heading over so hurry up." She hung up before I could even respond to that, and I shoved my phone in my pocket.

Madge and I had known each other since kindergarten, she tried really hard for like five years to be my friend and now she's basically my best friend. My other best friend Gale was the complete opposite of her. The joke on the rez was that we were cousins since we looked and acted so alike, and honestly sometimes when I looked at him I couldn't help but wonder if we really were related.

I finished the apple on my walk down the road to Gale's house. I could hear his little sister screaming from the yard before I even could see the house, so I was prepared when she leapt up into my arms as soon as she saw me. I picked her up and tossed her into the air, catching her just before she touched the ground and ruffled her unruly black hair.

"Posy quit bothering her and finish your chores." Rory yelled from the porch, his arms crossed against his chest. "No Prim with you this morning?"

I laughed and shook my head at him. "Sorry no, she's back at home sleeping. Is Gale here?"

"No, you just missed him. He took the truck though, so I don't think you'll catch up with him."

I stared down the road that led up and around the mountain. If he took the truck it meant he was leaving the Seam and going into town for something, so there's no point trying to get a ride from a person who's already gone.

"Hey thanks Rory, I'll see you around." I said, sneakily tossing my apple core away. "I'll tell Prim that you asked about her."

Rory turned red at my words and waved his arms out in front of him frantically. "No way Katniss. No way!"

I laughed and ran back towards my house. Rory had been in love with my sister ever since they were toddlers, the whole Hawthorne family and mine had grown up together almost like kin. My father and Gale's had been best friends; they even died side by side. I pushed the thought of my father from my mind most days, once I allowed myself to think on him it spiraled downward fast so I had to stop myself anytime I'd start.

The ghost of my father haunted our land, our house, but I refused to let him haunt my mind. My mother was a mess after he died, quitting her job and living off of her per cap money which left it up to me to pick up the pieces of our family. Not that I had had anything else going on in my life anyway, I've always been more the quiet introverted type so my social life wasn't terribly affected by having to take care of Prim. Actually I liked it most of the time; she meant more to me than anything. Now that she was a teen though I couldn't really use her as an excuse for me to back out of plans.

I walked out past our house into the meadow in the valley next to our house. It was a small meadow; the mountains surrounded it on all sides, with tall bluegrass growing among wildflowers and honeysuckle. It was easy to understand why my father fought so hard to keep his ancestral land for us, I could feel all of the Everdeens who had come before me in this place. Birds called to each other across the holler, and there was a river that led down to the lake on the other side of the mountains.

I came to the gate that enclosed the meadow from our backyard and let out a loud whistle. Off to the far left side I saw a pair of ears perk up, a tail swish quickly, and then the familiar sounds of hooves trotting over to me.

"Hello Tashunke." I said, reaching out to rub the fuzzy grey nose of my father's horse.

Tashunke rubbed his muzzle against my hand affectionately, eyeing me up to see if I had brought anything for him to snack on. I shook my head at him as his nose bumped against my hip.

"Sorry buddy, I don't have anything." He snorted at me in protest as he flicked his tail back and forth.

My father had raised Tashunke from a wild colt, training him traditionally so that he was extremely attentive to his rider so long as his rider was attentive to him as well. He was so well trained we only used the saddle when he was very young and first learning to handle a rider. I ran my hand over the soft hair of his face and neck, his cream mane catching the breeze as I continued to run my hand along his back to let him know where I was moving to. He allowed me to swing up onto his back and waited for me to get settled in before gently moving out from the meadow at a slow pace.

The sound of his hooves on the gravel path echoed against the mountains, sending the noise right back to us again. The sun was high in the sky by now, it was almost noon. Madge was probably wondering what was taking me so long, she lived in town and often forgot that I didn't have a car of my own to get around in. So often I just had Gale drive me around in his beat up truck, most people just assumed it was mine to use.

Tashunke and I went up and over the mountain road; I waved to all of the people of the Seam on their front porches as we passed by house by house. As we came down from the mountains onto the main road into town I spotted Gale's pickup truck on the side of the road ahead of us. He jumped out of the driver's seat and headed over to me as we approached.

"Hey Catnip, perfect timing." He said, grinning up at me.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Stupid thing ran out of gas. I really need to get that fuel gauge fixed." He flashed a guilty smile as he said this.

I rolled my eyes at him as he sidled over to us with a plastic gas tank in hand from the bed of his truck. Gale swung on up behind me onto Tashunke's back, wrapping his one free hand around my waist. His arm was so long that it wrapped practically to the other side of my hip, I could feel him spread his palm flat against my stomach and give my belly a small rub as we began to move.

We rode into town, the gas station wasn't far from Madge's house so I headed straight over to drop Gale off. As we approached I could see there were several people from school hanging out in front of the station, and Gale's grip on me tightened as I had Tashunke walk right over to the edge of the parking lot.

There was a group of boys from school; all 3 of them were seniors like me, who had stopped talking to watch us approach. I recognized them, knew their names but had never talked to any of them. The tallest, a big brutal looking blond boy named Cato, elbowed the boy next to him, Marvel and said something that made the second boy laugh loudly. The other boy with them, a blond boy with a stocky build and piercing blue eyes named Peeta, frowned slightly at his friend's words, crossing his arms and staring intently at me. I knew him from going to school with him for so many years, but he had never uttered so much as a word to me and I could never read him.

Gale slid off onto the ground, setting the red gas tank down by the curb. He reached up and plucked me off Tashunke with ease, placing me gently down beside him with a smile and nodded to the boys watching us. Peeta still had his eyes trained on me, the scowl on his face confusing to me as I looked back at him. Gale followed my eyes and laughed, leading Tashunke over to a grassy patch next to the building.

"Hey, you want anything?" He asked.

"Sure, I'll come in with you." I said.

Once we were inside the gas station I walked over and grabbed an Ale81 from the case as Gale wandered by the tacky souvenirs next to the shelves of pickled foods. As I came around the corner of the aisle I walked straight into Peeta, making the bag of snacks and soda fall from his arms as my bottle shattered onto the floor.

"Oh I'm sorry." I said.

I bent down to pick up the soda, and my hand reached the bottle at the same time as his, making our fingers brush together. He pulled his hand back quickly, looking up at me with his eyes so wide it made me laugh.

"Way to go Mellark, knocking her over and scaring her all at the same time." Cato said, offering a hand out to me to pull me up.

"No, it was my fault. I ran into him." I said quickly, ignoring his hand and brushing myself off as I stood up.

Cato and Marvel smiled at me as Peeta stood, he gave me a strange look as if he was going to say something but couldn't get the words out.

"Are you ok?" Gale asked, coming over to see why I was surrounded by three guys.

"I'm fine, let's just get the gas for your truck and go." I said, spinning around and heading out the door.

As Gale followed me out of the station and to the gas pump I could hear Peeta's friends laughing and giving him a rough time. While Gale filled the red gas tank up I stood next to him, squinting into the sun.

"Why were you driving into town anyway?"

"Was on my way to visit Finnick, said he and Thresh were grilling out today."

"Must be nice, not having any stupid homework to worry about." I sighed.

"Hey don't worry about it, in a few weeks you'll have graduated and be done with all of that too." Gale said, giving me a warm smile.

Madge's ringtone came loudly from my pocket. Gale looked at my phone as I pulled it out and then waved his hand at me.

"Go on, get out of here. I've kept you to myself long enough. Thanks for the ride into town."

"Thanks Gale. I'll see you later." I said, giving him a quick hug.

I marched over to where Tashunke had settled in the grass, clicking for him to come over. He glanced over his shoulder at me with his large round black eyes before trotting to me and letting me climb up onto his back. I ran my fingers through his coarse mane, nudging him with my foot to get him to leave the comfortable shady patch of grass he'd been resting in. As I left the gas station parking lot and headed up the hill toward Madge's house I looked over my shoulder to find Peeta standing there watching me go.


	2. On a Roll All Uphill

Chapter 2: On a Roll All Uphill

The Undersee mansion spread out in front of me, a great big house that had large white pillars and a large porch overlooking the acres of fields beyond. Being the mayor's daughter, Madge had one of the nicest houses in town. Her mother had raised horses and taught riding lessons before her depression became too difficult for her to bear, the fields now were only used when I rode Tashunke over to visit. He enjoyed racing along the miles of grass, and I knew it pleased Madge's mother to see a horse when she found the strength to peer out from her bedroom window from time to time.

Madge and Delly were both sitting out on the porch; they perked up and waved as I came up to join them.

"Took you long enough."

"Sorry, had to stop and rescue Gale from the road on the way." I said, grabbing a sip out of Delly's glass.

"Gale? Why isn't he here with you then?" Madge asked, leaning forward.

I let out a laugh. "Why would Gale want to sit around with a bunch of girls and talk to us? He's over with Thresh and Finnick."

Madge pouted a little before she caught herself. "You never bring Gale along."

I sighed, rolling my eyes and turning away from her. "He seemed pretty set on going and grilling out with his friends, I just brought him to the gas station. I ran into some guys from our class while I was there, Peeta knocked my soda right out of my hands when I bumped into him."

"Wait, he bumped into you? As in his body touched your body? Ugh why does everything good happen to you all the time? What happened?" Delly whined, a frown forming on her round face.

"Nothing really happened; he didn't even utter a word to me. Cato was actually kind of nice to me; he tried to help me up." I looked over to see both girls staring at me.

"Seriously, you get all of these guys around you and they just fall over themselves to be by you. I could paint myself fire engine red and they still wouldn't know I was there as they walked right over me." She stared down at her flipflop as she spoke.

"Delly, that's not true. You're amazing; guys are just too stupid right now to see it. Besides, I wouldn't call getting walked straight into by someone a compliment to me. They were probably staring at me for riding into town on the back of my dad's pony with Gale behind me. Peeta was glaring at me the minute I came onto that parking lot."

Madge rolled her eyes at my words and held up a finger to interrupt me.

"You always say he glares at you, I can promise you that he was glaring at the fact that Gale was with you. I see the way he watches you at school, he was probably jealous."

I shook my head at her, but I couldn't deny that her words had struck a chord with me. At school I felt his eyes upon me in class, when I'd turn around he'd quickly look out the window or straight ahead but I knew those blue eyes watched me. In the hallway when I'd close my locker I could see him from his own locker, staring down to me. I never knew what was behind his eyes, the way they lingered on me from a distance.

The fact that he chose to hang out with the two cruelest guys in our school intimidated me, I couldn't help but feel like he pitied me the way the rest of the school did. Being an outsider was something that I felt suited me just fine, I never wanted anything from anybody and expected nothing from any of them in return. After the deaths of my father and Gale's father the county had allowed us to come to the school in town as a weak form of reparation for our losses, and the moment I stepped through the door I had known just how different I was from the others.

The town near our rez is small, only a few hundred people and most of them have lived on the same land as all of their relatives since they came here from Scotland and Ireland a few hundred years ago. We call it town features, they mostly have blond or red hair, light eyes, they all could be distantly related to be honest. My young self, deep brown skin and long traditional braids in my thick black hair, stood out like a sore thumb walking in those doors to my new school. The only girl I knew there was Madge, she always tagged along with her father when he would come out to our land for media appearances.

Instead of staying isolated I caved to the friendship she had craved for so many years and fell into a comfortable relationship of quietly putting up with her and her friend Delly. Delly was silly to me, she was a bigger girl with almost white blonde hair and a bubbly personality that sharply contrasted with mine. She was the most boy crazy girl I knew, always thinking that every boy that looked at me was in love because she had never even been kissed.

I realized they both were watching to see my response to the jealousy comment.

"I think you're overanalyzing this tiny moment guys… besides, who would be jealous of Gale?" I let out a little laugh and tried to move on but Madge grabbed my arm.

"What would you have been doing today if you weren't with us?"

"Probably hanging out with Gale at Finnick's house…" I said, knowing where this was going.

"You should call him and see if we can come over!" Delly said excitedly.

I propped my feet up against the porch railing, staring at my worn shoes, memorizing the cracks in the rubber near the toes.

"Fine, I'll call him just to have you two finally see how unexciting it is to be around him and his friends."

Delly squealed excitedly at my words, making me regret my decision already. Gale's phone rang several times before he picked up.

"You must really miss me to be callin me so fast." He said, his words slightly slurred.

I let out a tiny groan. "Oh yeah, that must be it. What are you up to right now?"

He chuckled on the other end of the phone. "The same as always, but you already knew that. Your little girlfriends want you to get me to invite you all over here, am I right? Finnick's girl is coming over here later for a bonfire so you might as well, you could keep her company I guess."

"Thanks Gale. See you in a bit."

Hanging up the phone I found both Delly and Madge hovering right beside me.

"He said we can come over later for a bonfire, Finnick's girlfriend is gonna be there so it won't be as awkward."

They both squealed happily, clapping their hands together and discussing what they should wear to a bonfire. I looked down at the worn tshirt and jeans that I was wearing and wondered if I should change too. Madge followed my gaze.

"Do you want to see if there's anything in my closet that strikes your fancy?"

I nodded, and all three of us stood up and headed into the entry of Madge's large home. Upstairs her closet is larger than my entire bedroom, with rows of pretty clothes and shoes. I ran my hand over the silky material of a dress that Madge had worn to the Derby last year, the pale pink color contrasting against my skin. All of this seemed too fancy for a silly bonfire with a bunch of boys.

"I might just stick with what I'm wearing." I stated, closing the closet door.

"Oh just try something on at least before you turn it all down." Madge said, shoving a soft flowy tank top into my hands.

I put it on just to humor her, but when I caught myself in the mirror I was surprised by how nicely it looked on me. I have a very small waist, thanks both to genetics and the fact that I hate commodity foods so I never have much to eat, and the shirt clung to my curves nicely. Coming back into the room I could see Delly helping herself to Madge's makeup.

"You do know we'll be sitting around a fire, outside, probably on dirty rusty chairs, right?"

"Well sorry, some of us have to try a little to get guys to notice us. We can't all be like you Katniss." Delly snapped, glaring at my reflection from the mirror.

They took quite a bit longer to get ready, both girls switching outfits a few times before settling on the first things they had tried. I lay back on Madge's bed, looking at the pink ruffle canopy that she still had up from elementary school. There were pictures of us lining all of the walls, the smiling faces slowly getting older as the pictures move along the wall. The tiny versions of us beaming out from distant memories I wished I could physically touch.

Madge's mother let us borrow the car, by the time they were finally ready to head over the sun was already sinking behind the mountains. Finnick lived on the very edge of town, his small trailer practically coming straight out of the mountain. .

As we drove up the winding gravel drive to his house I could see the fire glowing up at the top, and figures mingling around it. The deep shadows of the mountain fell on my skin, making me appear even darker as we hopped out and headed up to meet everyone. Madge and Delly hovered behind me, nervously chattering as I waved to Gale and Thresh. A very pretty redhead was clutching Thresh's large arm, she gave me a sneaky smile as she eyed all three of us up.

"Hey, I'm Finch." She said, sticking her small pale hand out for me shake.

Gale walked over just then and grabbed me, cracking my back as he picked me up off the ground. He grinned toothily at my friends, raising his eyebrows at how overdressed Delly was.

"Don't think you'll want to sit too close to the fire in that get up." He said, gesturing to her shiny shirt.

"Be nice." I whispered, tugging at the sleeve of his hoodie.

"I am, I just have to give them a hard time." He smirked, before pulling me over to a table with drinks set out.

As he poured himself another drink I looked over everything, noting that there was only beer and brown liquor to drink along with a big open bottle of soda. Guess I'd have be adventurous.

I mixed some honey meade into a glass with the flat soda and headed over to an open chair by the fire next to Gale. Madge came and sat right next to me, having helped herself to a drink as well. I could smell her cup from my spot; it was straight whiskey with a hint of soda mixed in. My eyebrow rose as I glanced at her, she was drinking as if her life depended on it.

"So this is why you never invite us to hang out with you when you're with Gale, you want to keep him all to yourself." She said, leaning forward and tucking her arms under her chest so that her boobs pressed against the neckline of her shirt.

"I wasn't keeping him to myself, he's all yours." I said, leaning back so that she had a better view of Gale.

He looked her over, a ghost of smile on his face and took a long swig of his drink. A chunk of his thick black hair fell across his forehead, and he flicked it back with a motion of his head. He certainly was good looking, I couldn't argue with anyone on that point. Broad shoulders, strong from years of living off the land, his hair was almost as long as mine and kept in one long braid most days. His high cheekbones caught the glare of the fire, warming his copper brown skin. We had never had anything romantic between us, but the world seemed to assume that we would get together eventually. It was easy to picture what our future babies would look like, small sturdy limbs and determined stoic faces staring back at us. For some reason Peeta's face crossed through my mind, and I looked around almost as if I expected him to be here.

Finnick was across the yard, his pretty girlfriend standing at his side staring adoringly up at him. Several more cars came up the hill and parked on either side of the drive, and soon the yard was filled with voices. Madge had moved to the spot on the other side of Gale, practically throwing herself at him as she laughed too loud at each of his lame jokes. Neither one seemed aware of my existence, too busy with their own conversation, so I stood up. Scanning the crowd for Delly I saw several people from our grade were here, most of them here for Finnick who was loved by pretty much everyone in town.

Two little faces sneaking around the tool shed surprised me, and I rushed over.

"Prim I saw you!" I shouted.

Giggles were their response as I came around the corner and spotted Prim and her best friend Rue hiding there, both clutching red cups that were half empty.

"Oh come off it Katniss, let us have some fun for once." Prim said, giving me a sweet smile and blinking at me.

Rue nodded; trying to give me an innocent face before both started giggling again, leaning against each other and trying to say something through their laugh. I smiled down at them, leaning against the shed. I had to keep reminding myself that my sister was 14 now; she was almost an adult in my mother's eyes. Both girls had their barefeet in the grass, and I wanted to just settle down beside them and hide from the crowd, but something told me to go look for Delly.

"You both look cute tonight; try not to stir up too much trouble ok?" I said, smoothing Prim's hair quick.

They both nodded, and I took a long sip on my drink before I walked back around the corner of the shed. Right as I did so, my body smacked straight into something hard and warm, knocking me to the ground for the second time in one day. Leaning back on my arms I looked up to see what I'd walked into, only to find myself inches away from the bluest pair of eyes I knew.

Peeta Mellark was leaning back on his elbows, his eyes wide with shock as he took in the sight of me.


	3. An Easy Country Charm

A/N: Thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews of this story. It definitely motivated me as I wrote this next chapter! So please, if you read this chapter, review and tell me what you think so I know that you are out there!

Chapter 3: An Easy Country Charm

The grass was rough beneath my fingers; I rubbed my palm against my leg before springing to my feet in one smooth motion. I reached my hand out as an offering to Peeta who was still spread out on the ground, his broad shoulders holding the weight of his body against his arms. I couldn't help but let my eyes run along his chest; the tank top he was wearing was very thin cotton which clung to his well-developed muscles. One of his large hands gripped mine, and I was shocked to feel hard callouses on his fingers as I pulled him to his feet.

"We seem to keep runnin into each other this way. I'm blaming you; I think you're the only one in all of Kentucky that could sneak up on me this way." I said, my mouth quirking into a smile.

His blue eyes opened a little wider at my words before a big smile spread across his lips. It was the first smile I could remember seeing directed at me before, it caused a small flutter in my stomach as I looked at how it warmed his face.

"Blamin me? Pretty sure you're the one who keeps running straight into me. Are you alright?" He asked, and I felt it was more an excuse to look me over than genuine concern.

"Oh I'm fine, nothing compared to being knocked off a horse." I said.

Our eyes locked, and I became aware that his hand was still in mine as he gave it a little squeeze. I flipped his hand over in mine so that his palm was facing up, and I inspected the callouses I'd felt there. I had always assumed that he was just like every other boy in town, living off his parent's money but here was a clear sign that he obviously worked hard. It added so much to my opinion of him immediately, and I was suddenly compelled to press my lips against the rough callous but stopped myself.

A fast motion out of the corner of my eye drew my attention as Gale rushed over, drink spilling as he came to my side.

"This guy knock you over again Katniss?" He gave a threatening look at Peeta, his dark eyes narrowing to almond slivers.

"No Gale, its fine. I was coming round the bend too fast. Calm it." I put my hand on Gale's shoulder, but he shrugged it off.

"It happens again and I'll know it wasn't an accident." He said, pointing at Peeta.

"Look, he got your drink all over your shirt." Gale continued, whipping his hoodie off and shoving it into my arms.

I looked down at myself for the first time and realized that it was true, my drink had splashed across my chest, making the thin material almost see through. I quickly pulled the hoodie on, noticing a look of disappointment flash across Peeta's face as I covered myself up. I smirked at him when my head came out from the shirt before threading my long braid out to let it fall back down my back.

"Gale!" Madge called, stumbling down to us.

Gale turned to me, rolling his eyes and raising his eyes to the sky before facing her. She almost slipped on the grass but came to stand with us, cutting Peeta out of the group and grabbing my shoulder for support.

"Oh good, you found Katniss! I turned around and you were gone but here you are!" She said, slightly winded from running to us.

I crossed my arms as I looked at her, clearly she had been helping herself to all of the drinks, her face was bright red and her dress strap had slid down one shoulder. She grinned goofily at me, and I just shook my head.

"Peeta! You're here too? Did you see that Katniss is here?" She shouted, finally noticing that Peeta was right behind her.

He stood there awkwardly, glancing quickly at me before letting out an embarrassed laugh, running a hand through his blond hair. Footsteps approached from the left, when I turned I saw Peeta's friends coming up the hill drinking straight from a bottle. They stopped when they saw us, and Cato let out a loud whoop. Peeta met my eyes quick, an apologetic look on his face, before running down the hill to meet up with them. When I turned back to Gale and Madge they were both watching curiously.

"Have either of you seen Delly?" I asked.

"I think I saw her somewhere over there." Madge said, waving her arm in no direction in particular.

My feet wandered up the hill and towards Finnick's trailer, passing by groups of people who I recognized but had never actually talked to at school. The sound of Delly's shrill laugh filled my ears before I spotted her standing with two girls from our grade, all three of them with empty shot glasses in hand. The tall blond next to her, Glimmer, gave me a wary look but I stuck my chin out and poked Delly's arm. She grabbed my arms with both hands and gripped a little too hard.

"Katniss you just missed it, Clove and Glimmer were telling me all about how they were driving around and followed Cato's car to the bonfire!" She turned and rested her hand on Clove's slender shoulder. "I can't believe we never talk, you are so nice."

Clove gave a thin smile, nodding at Delly. Glimmer was still staring me down, her light eyes making me uncomfortable. She was easily the prettiest girl at our school; cars would slow down as they passed her on the street. Clove was also very pretty, a tiny and mean spirited girl. For some reason Delly always cared what they thought about her, she would update us on what both had worn, trying to show us pictures they had posted.

The air around both girls talking to Delly was so unwelcome I suddenly felt like I was suffocating. I pulled the glass from Delly's hand and filled it quickly with whiskey from the table behind them; my stomach burning as I quickly downed the shot and did a second. My natural ability to observe everything seemed to be a burden right now, and alcohol seemed like a good solution to that problem. As I filled the glass for a third shot I heard Glimmer whispering to Clove, I peaked at them out of the corner of my eye. The burning in my empty stomach told me it wouldn't take long to feel the effects of what I'd just drank.

"There's my girl!" Marvel suddenly shouted from behind me, making me jump.

He came up to Glimmer, sliding his arms around her waist and kissing her neck. Delly watched jealously as he kissed Glimmer's neck, but my vision seemed to be blurring too much. When I tried to move out of the way of Cato as he came to stand next to Clove my feet seemed glued to the ground, and I fell back slightly. I put my arms out to steady myself, frowning as I thought of the apple that I had eaten this morning and how that was all that stood between the whiskey and my bloodstream. Maybe this whole three shot thing wasn't a great idea.

A pair of strong hands came and steadied me as I wobbled again, and I looked up to find the hands belonged to Peeta. When I straightened up and tried to smile at him I leaned forward, bumping my forehead against his chest. Very hard chest at that. I placed my hand against his pec to steady myself, and my thumb rubbed against the soft material of his tank top on its own. He let out a quiet chuckle at my action.

"You're a lightweight." He said, his voice gentle.

I just nodded, unable to focus on much other than how close he was to me and the wonderful feeling of his warm chest beneath my fingers.

"Maybe we should get you something to eat, hmm?" He asked, and I again nodded.

He grabbed my hand and led me away from the crowd and down the hill to where everyone had parked. The noise died down a bit, allowing me to hear the blood pumping in my ears. The grass had become wet from the darkness and crowd, and I almost slid the rest of the way down but Peeta grabbed me. In one smooth motion he swung me up into his arms, my legs dangling over his arm. I stared at my toes as he carried me over and set me down gently on the edge of the open back of a truck. He went into the front seat, rustling around quick before reappearing with a small brown bag in his hand. As he hopped up to sit next to me he reached in and pulled out a small circle bun with cheese baked onto it, handing it to me. I grabbed it, taking a huge bite and barely swallowing before looking up at him.

I meant to be polite and thank him but "You drive a truck." popped out of my mouth instead.

Peeta laughed, taking a bite out of a cheese bun as well. "I do."

"Thanks for this too." I said, holding up the cheese bun.

My feet dangled over the edge of the truck bed, I swung my legs in circles and enjoyed the feeling of the wind blowing over them. It was dark down here away from the bonfire, only a hangnail sliver of a moon in the sky amongst all of her stars. I could see them reflect in Peeta's eyes when I turned to look at him, startled by how beautiful the night looked on him. He was staring intently at me, which was much more familiar to me than him talking or smiling. I could handle the staring. It was his kindness to me that was unnerving.

"You're different than I expected." I finally managed to say when I realized I had just been staring at him for several minutes.

"You're exactly how I pictured." He said softly.

"Really? I didn't think you would have pictured me any sort of way." I said, finishing my cheese bun.

A strong gust of wind blew over us, the smell of the honeysuckle drifting through in waves. The little wisps of hair surrounding my face danced with the air, tickling my cheeks. His hand came up to my cheekbone, hovering there for a moment before it dropped back to his lap. He seemed to be considering his words carefully.

Despite the whiskey fighting with the bread in my stomach, my ears were still hypersensitive and picked up the sound of tires coming up the road. The way the gravel crunched slowly told me that whoever was driving the car was attempting to be quiet, as if to catch us all by surprise which told me it was most likely cops coming. I hopped off the truck, pulling Peeta down too with a tug on his arm.

"I have to go find Delly and Madge, looks like the bonfire's about to be busted." I said before running up the hill.

As I raced past groups of people I warned them the cops were coming. Delly was nowhere in sight, but I could see Madge barely holding herself up and attempting to scoot closer to a very bored looking Gale.

"Come on, we have to go now!" I shouted, pulling Madge by her hand.

Gale looked us both over, sighed loudly, and threw Madge over his shoulder. "I'll drive you both home."

He set Madge in the bed of the truck gently as I jumped in the passenger seat and he took off down the hill, both of us flying around over each bump as he drove through the fields.

When we pulled up to my house he picked Madge back up, carrying her in to the living room and setting her down on the couch. She spread out immediately, muttering something before falling fast asleep. I could see two pair of feet poking out from the blankets of my bed in my room, meaning Prim and Rue had made it home safely.

Gale turned away from her, coming to stand in front of me. He smoothed the baby hair away from my face, tucking a strand back behind my ear before poking my nose with his finger.

As he left I stared out into the darkness, Peeta's eyes lingering in my mind.


	4. All So Simple in Fact

Author's Note: Thank you all so much for the reviews, it really does help me as a writer to know what everyone is thinking as they read this. I did get several comments about the native aspect of this story and how you wanted more of the culture, so I included some more in this chapter! Also my sister and I will be camping all of next week so I will try and post the next chapter on Thursday instead of Friday. As always, please review to let me know what you think!

Chapter 4: All So Simple in Fact

The sound of my mother cooking in the kitchen woke me up, and the smell of dough frying in the pan filled my nose. I stretched out from the pile of laundry I'd fallen asleep on, enjoying the crack that came from each vertebra in my back.

"You're gross." Madge muttered, her face smushed into a couch cushion.

I laughed, hopping up onto my feet and patting her head. "You love me anyway."

She nodded, rising onto her forearms before pressing her palm to her forehead. I could feel pressure behind my eyes as well, so I used my fingertips to work the headache up and out to my scalp.

"Got any aspirin?" Madge asked, curling up against a pillow.

My mom clicked her tongue behind us. "We don't have that trash in this house. I'll make you something that will actually work for you."

I allowed a smile to spread across my lips as Madge frowned at my mother's words. Western medicine wasn't welcome in our home; my mother was an expert healer. While she may spend most of her time dwelling on the loss of the love of her life, she still was great at healing physical ailments. Many times after my father's death I would read through her journals that had been passed down from her mother, wishing I could find anything to heal her soul so that the mother I needed would return to me. One night in desperation I had even attempted to call the souls of every ancestor I had, begging them to fix my mother so that she could love me again. They gave the same wisdom that my living elders gave; the pain of life was necessary in order to deserve any good that would come.

The fact that my mother was up and interacting with guests could have been viewed as a sign of improvement, though I feared she was simply attempting to fulfill her obligations as a good host. It was considered a major insult in our culture to not feed and shelter those who came to us. She pulled two chipped mugs from the single cabinet above the sink and set them on the wooden counter before pulling a small box from beside the teapot.

As my mother crushed up a remedy for Madge's hangover I peeked in on Prim and Rue. Both girls were spread out on our small bed, long skinny limbs all over the place and peaceful expressions on their faces. They looked like little dolls while sleeping; it made a sense of protectiveness surge through me.

"I made you one too." My mother said, handing me a cup of steaming hot tea.

The minute I took a sip I could feel the change in my body. I had an extremely fast metabolism, so most of the alcohol that I had drank last night was already worked out of my system, which meant the tea had an easy job of healing me. Madge let out a little noise after drinking hers, a shudder going through her body and she looked up at me with wide eyes.

"Not what I was expecting." She said, staring back down into the cup in amazement. "You should sell this stuff, you'd be rich."

My mother let out a low laugh, walking back to the stove and shaking her head. Madge frowned, looking at me before taking another long sip of her tea and draining the cup.

"Healing only works if there is a specific purpose and the healer makes it with a person in mind." I tried to explain, not sure how much Madge cared or understood about what my mother did.

There was a soft knock on the door, thankfully interrupting the strange air in the room. Gale's tall lanky frame filled the screen door, his hair left down to catch the wind as he looked in on me.

"That's the kind of view I like to see in the morning." My mother said.

"You know I only come around for you." Gale replied.

He stepped into the house, glancing at Madge before settling on the armrest in front of me. One of his big feet came and kicked at my knee until I looked up at him. He darted his eyes at Madge quick before locking eyes with me, and it was the first in a long time that I wasn't able to immediately read what he was thinking.

"You left your car over in Finnick's yard, along with your friend. Might want to go get that." Gale said to Madge, who had been sliding over to be closer to him on the couch.

"Can we get a ride with you?"

"Yeah, I guess I could find some room in the truck for you two."

"Take a piece of frybread for the road." My mother said, shoving some in each of our hands.

We piled into Gale's truck that was parked out front, me ending up in the middle seat. The drive off the rez and into town was quiet, all three of us deep in thought. I blinked as the comforting shade of the Appalachian mountains gave way to the clear open blue sky of the gravel road leading into town.

The small shacks and cabins that lined the road began to get closer together as we approached Finnick's trailer. I could see him working out in the front yard as we pulled up, his golden skin glowing in the sun. He stood up and wiped his brow, squinting at us as we pulled up. Madge hopped out of the truck before Gale had fully come to a stop, flying over to Delly who was pouting on a chair. I peeled off the sweatshirt Gale had given me last night, setting it on the seat beside me.

"I can give you a ride over to grab your horse." Gale said quietly, and I realized that it wasn't just me who had something on their mind.

"That would be nice."

I waved to Madge and Delly, glad to have an escape from the angry rants I'm sure Delly would have about us leaving her behind last night.

The drive to Madge's house was quick; Gale and I both stared ahead at the road in silence until he stopped in front of the field where Tashunke stood waiting for me. As I was opening the door Gale grabbed my hand, stopping me.

"I know who you disappeared with last night. I don't like the way he looks at you, and I definitely didn't like him knocking you over yesterday. Just be careful. You know what guys like that grow up to become."

I stared out the window, nodding slowly at his words. "There's nothing for you to worry about Gale. Boys like him… it doesn't matter. We still on for hunting tonight?"

Gale frowned, tightening his grip on my hand before nodding. He poked the tip of my nose with his finger before rubbing my earlobe. "Take it easy Katniss."

The sadness in his voice confused me; I hesitated before leaving the truck and walking over to the wooden fence. Tashunke trotted over, his grey nose coming and nipping at the end of my braid playfully. I swung up onto his back, laying down against his neck and just hugging him for a minute. The smell of his mane filled my nose, the powerful muscles of his neck twitched beneath my fingers. As I slowly raised my body back up to sitting I noticed Gale's truck was still stopped in the drive. Our eyes met before I pressed my foot against Tashunke, taking off down the road. I could hear Gale's truck start back up, my ears picked up the sound fading behind us as Gale drove in the opposite direction.

Tashunke and I were so well attuned to each other that I didn't even need to guide him; he just read my mind and headed back towards the mountains. I raised my eyes to the sky, letting the blue remind me of the eyes that kept lingering in my mind. As we raced through the tall Kentucky grasses his hooves kicked up the scent of the wildflowers scattered around us as a trail of flower petals drifted up and out behind us. The wind urged us on, picking up the hair around my face and swirling it upward. The voices of my ancestors began to whisper with the breeze, signaling how close we were to home.

Suddenly Tashunke turned down a different path, breaking into a full out sprint and forcing me to lay flat against his back, clinging to his shoulder and neck. I could hear the ground harden beneath his hooves, and just as suddenly as he'd started he slowed down to a walk. My hair had shook free from my braid and was flowing around my waist. I flipped my head back, getting all of my thick black hair away from my face, and looked around to see where Tashunke had taken me.

The air was filled with the scent of baking bread; a stream of warm moist air was blowing directly to us from the old stone building up the hill from where we were. Tashunke stuck his head over the fenced yard, nibbling on what looked like young wheat growing. My eyes grew wide as I recognized where my horse had taken us.

The memory of my younger self flooded my mind, filling my senses as if I were back in time. _My father had just been killed, and my mother had immediately receded into herself. She stopped talking, never looked us in the eyes, and spent her days curled up in bed clinging to the shirt my father died in. The only time she left the house was to kiss the fresh dirt where my father lay, the seeds that we placed inside him only just beginning to break the surface. The seed that we put in his mouth would someday be a great oak tree, standing proud among the oak and pine trees of his father and grandfather. Prim was so young, she would curl up against my mother, crying with her, not understanding the deep loss that my mother and I felt for my father. Each day I watched my mother waste away more and more until she was a sliver, a pale shadow of the strong and fierce woman I had known before. _

_The first time I caught a glimpse of myself in a mirror after his death scared me, my limbs were so thin they looked like a snap could break them, and my cheekbones stuck out dangerously from my face. _

_Our kin did the best they could, upheld familial obligation and kinship ties by bringing over dishes for us but it was not enough. No one on the reservation had much to give their own children, let alone spare some for three hungry mouths that should be feeding themselves. Gale's family was going through similar grief over the death of his father who was killed along with mine. He saved us, bringing homemade jerky and jars of vegetables from their garden. It was small, but it was the saving grace from starving to death._

_It took me a long time to admit that my mother, the way I had known and loved her, was not returning to us and took on raising Prim all on my own. It was hard being a child and raising another at the same time, I knew Gale was going through the same thing but some days I felt like I was suffocating._

_One day, a hollow day in which all the arugula and celery in the world wouldn't fill my rumbling stomach, I went out to the meadow where my father's horse stayed. Ever since his death, Tashunke had waited patiently at the gate for my father's return, refusing to let anyone else ride him. This day he laid his front hooves out to me, letting me climb onto his back. I wanted so badly to escape the pain and emptiness that had become our home, so I let Tashunke run for what seemed like a lifetime. _

_A lone bird sat on a fence, its cry echoing across the expansive meadow the only sound aside from Tashunke's hooves. He slowed to a stop at a fence. The smell of bread being baked made the emptiness in my stomach ache even more, forcing me to cover my face. A boy, all blond hair and enormous blue eyes and pink skin, watched me curiously. When I clutched my concave stomach the boy ran into the stone building, coming back out a minute later with a small loaf of bread. I watched him fearfully as he approached, but he simply handed me the bread and then gave an apple to Tashunke before running back into the house. A woman's voice carried across the meadow to me, the anger in her words hitting me as if it was directed right to me._

Why had Tashunke brought me back to this place? It was eerie; nothing appeared to have changed in all the years that had passed since that day. When a bird landed on a fence post and let out a haunting cry that echoed around me, my skin prickled. There was movement in an upper window of the stone building, only a second of motion but it caught my attention.

The air around me changed quickly, I could smell the rain coming before I saw it. The sky darkened, huge black clouds rolling in above me, and I reached for Tashunke's mane in an attempt to get to shelter. His ears flattened out, and I could feel all of his muscles twitching beneath me. I led him to the nearest tree, reaching up and climbing off of his back and landing onto the ground without a sound.

The first roll of thunder clapped and Tashunke took off running, his tail swishing above the grass. I let out a long sigh before settling onto a branch that was growing barely a few feet from the ground. Might as well wait out the storm since it's a long walk home. The sky burst open, pouring rain down so hard that the ground began flooding instead of absorbing the water. I pulled my feet up, tucking them against my chest. A shiver came up through my spine and I realized that the air had cooled with the rain. I wished that I had kept Gale's sweatshirt as I ran my fingers along my arms and tried to warm them up.

A figure was making their way through the downpour toward me, carrying an umbrella. Why would anyone be out willingly in this weather? As they came closer, I recognized him. Peeta.

He ran up to the tree, wiping his wet hair out of his face before smiling at me. Something flipped inside my stomach as I looked at him, soaking wet in front of me.

"What are the chances of me running into you here?" I asked, sliding down from the branch onto the ground so that he could hear me over the rain.

"Pretty high actually, considerin you're on my land." He said, crossing his arms across his broad chest.

"You live here?" I asked, and the image of the boy with the bread came into my mind.

He nodded at me. "Yep, I live here. That's our bakery right there." He pointed to the building.

I looked him over, wondering if he even remembered that day. It probably was just like any other day for him, even though that bread helped me be strong for Prim.

"I wasn't trying to trespass; my horse brought me here and then ran off." I said, sending a glare at the meadow to where we could hear Tashunke whinnying angrily.

"Sounds like you might need to get a new horse." He started, but I interrupted.

"No, no. He was my father's; I shouldn't have taken him out with the chance of a storm. He was a wild pony; he followed my dad home one day when he was just a baby."

Peeta looked me over, and another shiver ran through my body.

"You're shivering."

He stepped closer to me; unbuttoning the shirt he was wearing and handing it to me. The white undershirt he was wearing clung to his body, I could see the faint outline of a six-pack through the thin material. I held the shirt in my hand, feeling his warmth on it before wrapping it around myself. The smell of Peeta filled my nose, and for some reason it comforted me in a way I hadn't been in years.

"I thought you might need this." Peeta said, holding up an umbrella.

I nodded, reaching for it. Peeta pulled it back slightly, forcing me to come closer to him. I grinned, reaching for the umbrella again, only to have Peeta pull it back further so that there were only inches between us. His warm breath came out onto my skin, sending goosebumps across my neck. I reached up and tried to smooth my hair, and I remembered that it had come loose on the ride over.

"Sorry, I must look a mess right now."

"Don't be, it's a good look for you." He said.

He raised one large hand and brushed the baby hair from my forehead, tucking some behind my ear. I froze; it scared me how much I wanted to lean into his touch. One large calloused thumb rubbed against my cheek, tracing the severe curve of my cheekbone. My eyes closed, and I pressed my head against his hand, letting him hold the weight for a minute.

I heard him sigh, and when my eyes fluttered open I found him nose to nose with me.

"I don't think it was an accident that you came to me." He said quietly.

"I'm not so sure it was either." I said, unable to look away from his startlingly blue eyes.

Our faces were so close that I was taking in each breath he let out, he smelled like cinnamon and herbs and fire. I wanted to breath him all the way in, it was such a comforting and warm smell that I couldn't get enough of.

Peeta held onto me, looking at me through his eyelashes. I was shocked by the powerful emotion in them. We stood there taking each other in as the rain continued to pour down around us.

A screech broke through the rain as Peeta's mother stood at the back door of the bakery, calling him back to work. Peeta squeezed his eyes shut, taking a deep breath before bracing my shoulders with his big hands. He opened and shut his mouth, searching for the right words.

"Go ahead; I'll see you at school tomorrow. Oh, and I'll be sure to give this back." I said, raising the umbrella in my hand.

Peeta nodded, leaning toward me before he ran out into the rain toward his screaming mother.

I leaned back against the tree, my legs feeling weak, and touched my cheek. What had just happened?


	5. Some Things You Can't Disguise

A/N: I apologize for taking so long with updating my story. Summer semester started right after we came back from camping and it's turning out to be a lot more work than I was expecting. I'm not trying to abandon this story; I promise I have much more to post! Also seriously all of you are so wonderful with the reviews; it means so much to know your reactions to my writing! I got a pm about my chapter titles, so I thought I'd answer on here as well in case anyone else was thinking similar thoughts; each chapter title comes from a line from a song I was listening to while writing. You'll get major points if you can figure out which song each chapter comes from :} Also I did get a few questions on the culture, I'm basing Katniss's tribe off my own, so even though I'm a great lakes and plains girl I'm trying to blend that with Appalachian culture since that's where District 12 is located in the books (and I did live there for some while as well).

Chapter 5: Some Things You Can't Disguise

The walk home from Peeta's house seemed to take a lifetime. The sky never let up, pouring down on the umbrella as I walked along the side of the road. By the time I passed the sign welcoming me back to our reservation my teeth were chattering, the flannel of Peeta's shirt clinging to my back and arms.

I reached out, placing a hand against the cold metal of the sign, feeling the rusted bullet hole the same way I used to as a child. There was always a different feeling inside of me as soon as I crossed the line onto our nation, a strength that filled my bones from being surrounded by my ancestors.

Rez dogs hid under porches and cars from the rain, their large round eyes blinking out at me as I hurried home. The Hawthorne house was full of light as I passed, the sounds of Gale's siblings breaking through the storm to reach my ears. I could see Hazelle in the kitchen, no doubt trying to make dinner. Gale's truck was parked near the garden, I debated stopping inside but rushed to my porch instead.

Under the protection of our tin roof I closed the umbrella, resting it against the wooden sides of the house. The door to my mother's room was partially closed; I could see her shoes by the front door so I knew she must be lying down in her room and gave her space. Buttercup's eyes glowed at me as I walked into the cabin, I squinted my eyes affectionately at him as I shuffled into the bedroom.

Wet clothes hit the old wood floor with a squelch as I dug around for something dry. My fingers found the faded AIM jacket that my father used to wear everywhere. I pulled it out fully so that I could look at it. In all the time that had passed since my father's death, I had never once washed it in fear of losing the tiny hint of him that lingered in the fabric. Throwing on some warm pajamas I wrapped the coat around me; it was so big that it could probably fit two of me within it. I built up a small fire in the fireplace and wrapped my arms tightly around my knees, letting the warmth of the fire and my father's jacket surround me.

Once I stopped shivering, my mind wandered back to being under the tree with Peeta. Why had he suddenly become so nice to me? After knowing him for so long, catching his eyes following me from a far all of these years, why was it now he chose to talk to me? Standing so close to him, with the rain pouring around us, I had had the crazy thought that he was about to kiss me.

I let out a small laugh at myself. While I had never seen Peeta with any girlfriend, I couldn't imagine someone like him would want to kiss a girl like me. The sinking feeling in my stomach at this thought told me that I was in trouble, because I did want Peeta to kiss me. I had never wanted anyone to kiss me, never had wanted much of anything from anyone for that matter… up until now.

A soft knock on the door drew me from my thoughts, and I looked up to the silhouette of Gale shaking off his coat and draping it on a chair on the porch. He kicked his boots off and hopped over the couch to land squarely behind me. I looked up at him from the floor before leaning back against his long legs, resting my head on his knee.

"Obviously no hunting tonight. You're so quiet." He said, running his fingers through my damp hair.

I just nodded my head, watching the flames of the fire eat up the wood in the stone fireplace. We sat in silence for quite some time, just the sound of wood cracking and rain falling on the tin roof filling the small cabin. Finally I stood up and sat next to Gale, stealing a little of his heat by resting against his shoulder. He looked down at me with an odd expression on his face, and we simply sat looking at each other.

"I know how you get when it rains." He said, breaking the silence as he touched the AIM patch sewn on the front of my father's jacket.

"It's much appreciated." I said softly, wrapping the coat closer to my body.

A breeze blew the screen door open before slamming it up against the frame, drawing both of our attention to it. There was a very strange feeling in the air.

"Well, I probably should be getting home; sure my mom's got a ton of work for me to do." Gale said, standing up and shoving his boots back onto his large feet. I rested on the back of the couch, watching the way he filled the entire doorframe with his long legs and wide shoulders.

"Thanks for checking on me Gale. Spirits know someone needs to." I said, hopping up to give him a quick hug and rub my nose against his cheek.

His arms lingered against my back, not releasing me from the hug. I squirmed out from his grasp, taking a step back so that I was in the center of the cabin. He was quick to take on his usual stoic expression, wiping the hurt that had crossed his face when I pulled away.

After he disappeared into the storm I sighed. The last thing I needed was for Gale to start acting strange; he was one of the few comforts I had in this life. I peered out the side window, and could barely make out the tree growing from where my father lay. Its branches were standing strong against the rain; it looked like they were reaching up to the sky to gather the water with each leaf. Rain always reminded me of my father, he was a great storyteller and taught Prim and I all of our people's tales. My favorite when I was young was the story of rain. I couldn't hear my father tell enough times about thunder and lightning fighting over rain because they were both in love with her. He would whisper to me after that I was born in a terrible rain storm, which was how he had known that I would be beautiful the minute I came out.

I turned away from the window and sat down with my backpack, burying myself in studying to keep my mind from such thoughts any longer.

Peeta's umbrella was sticking out of my bag as I walked into school. We didn't have a dryer so I had to leave his shirt on the line out in our yard to dry, I hoped that he wouldn't mind waiting to get that back. As I approached his locker I tried to take a few deep breaths to calm my nerves. We had never spoken in school, I wasn't sure that the boy who had been so nice to me out in the real world would still be kind when his friends were there to witness it.

I could see his blond hair from halfway down the hall. He was chatting with Marvel as he set some books into his locker and shut the door. They turned and walked into a classroom before I reached them, so I spun around and rushed off.

At lunch Madge and Delly both wanted to hear an explanation for why I had Peeta's umbrella with me. When I explained that Tashunke had run to his house they both smiled.

"That's a sign!" Delly squealed.

"A sign of what, a misbehaving horse?" I asked, picking at the free lunch the school gave me.

"A sign that the two of you should be together. Come on, out of all of the places he could have run to, he brought you to Peeta Mellark's backyard." Madge said.

I looked across the room to where Peeta was sitting with his friends. He was next to Cato, who held the attention of everyone else at the table with his every word. They were all so perfect and intimidating; it would be easier to return his umbrella in English which we had together at the end of the day.

When I walked into my English class, I was relieved to see an open seat next to Peeta, and I slipped in quietly beside him. He turned slowly, his eyes lighting up when he noticed that it was me, and sat back to look at me.

Our teacher came bustling into the room, so I had to turn forward. All through class I could see him looking at me, each time I'd turn to him our eyes would lock. I could see Madge glancing at us questioningly several times throughout the class. The final bell rang, and as everyone else packed up to leave I yanked the umbrella out of my bag. Madge waved to me quickly before rushing from the room.

"Thanks for letting me use this, definitely made my walk home easier." I said, handing the umbrella over to him.

His smile quirked for a moment before spreading widely across his face.

"I'm glad I could be of service."

For some reason his words affected me. I felt my cheeks heat up and I looked down at my hands. We stood up and walked side by side out to my locker. I shoved my books onto a shelf quickly before shutting the door and spinning back around to face him as he leaned up against the lockers.

"I didn't have a chance to dry out your shirt; otherwise I would've brought that back too."

"You can keep it if you like." His words came out quiet, hesitant.

I felt my eyebrow raise as I thought it over, I could always use another warm shirt that was too big for me. He studied my face closely before shoving off of the lockers and standing directly in front of me.

"How are you getting home?"

"Well, I usually get a ride with Madge…" I said, and we both looked around the empty hallway.

"I could drive you home. Only if you want me to." He stated, trying to sound casual.

"That would be amazing actually."

We walked in a comfortable silence out to his truck. I smiled as he struggled to open my door before running to his side. Country music blasted from the speakers as soon as he turned the truck on, and I swatted his hand away when he tried to turn it down.

"Didn't take you for the type to listen to country music." He said, smirking at me as we pulled out onto the road.

"Why not? I don't think it can get much more country than my life." I said.

"You're such a pleasant surprise." He mused. "So where are we going?"

"You know where the Seam reservation is?" I watched the mountains grow around us to avoid having to meet his eyes.

"Never been there, but I certainly know about it." He said gently.

I turned toward him; his face was open and honest without the slightest hint of cruelty. I wanted to ask him what it was that he knew about my home, my people's nation, but I couldn't find the words on my tongue.

"Well, that's where I live. You can drop me off at the border if you'd like, I can walk easy enough from there."

We entered the mountains, the gravel grinding loudly under his tires as we made our way up the steep twisting roads. Peeta seemed oddly familiar with this drive; he found all of the sneaky little unmarked roads without hesitation, which made me wonder if he had been out here before. I couldn't think of any reason why a nice boy who lived in town and worked at his parent's bakery would have for coming way out here.

The long chain-link fence glittered in the hot sun as we approached, and Peeta seemed to be deep in thought. He pulled over on the side of the road, and rushed out to get my door for me. His hands found my waist, gently lifting me out of the truck before setting me down on the ground. I stared up at him, and I lost my train of thought. He was beautiful, I didn't know how else to describe him. Golden hair glowing in the sun, his eyes shining as they looked at me, the very slightest hint of stubble on his strong square jawline. My eyes focused on his lips, his tongue came out and licked his bottom lip and I think I let out a small noise at the action.

Two young boys on horseback came up the road, their black eyes staring out at us in amusement. "Kiss her already." The smaller boy shouted, and both giggled and trotted away quickly.

I blushed, looking at my toes. Peeta reached out, his rough thumb tucking under my chin and forcing me to look up at him. I blinked as I stared up into his kind eyes, fearing being this close to him would make my legs give out. I had never wanted more in my life to get so close to someone, I could hear my heart pounding inside of my chest. A bird let out a cry that echoed around us, and I pulled away, reminded of where we were.

"Thank you so much for the ride home Peeta. I've really enjoyed getting to know you these past few days."

"I'd like to get to know a whole lot more of you, if you'd let me." Peeta said, reaching for my hand.

He brought my hand up to his lips, placing a small kiss across my knuckles that I felt throughout my entire body. When he looked back up at me, there was a lovely pink spreading across his cheeks. I waved at him before turning and jogging across the line onto the rez. I spun around to watch him climb back into his truck, and he nodded his head at me as he turned around sending dust flying everywhere as he drove away.


	6. Just a Lie You Got to Rise Above

A/N: I am so very sorry for the long time in posting this next chapter. There really is no excuse I can give for the amount of time that has passed. I wrote and rewrote 6 different versions of this chapter because I could not make up my mind which then caused me to leave this almost finished chapter sitting around for months. I really do feel guilty for not updating sooner!

Special thanks to sick-of-dreams for getting my butt back into writing this!

Chapter 6: Just a Lie You Got to Rise Above

The air seemed so sweet as it filled my lungs with each breath. The sun fell in long rays between the leaves, brushing my skin but I could barely feel it. There was a haze in my head and my feet carried me home so fast that I stumbled on the wooden steps leading to the porch.

"What's put such a big smile on your face?"

My head snapped up at Gale's voice, our eyes locked as I approached the porch swing where he was sitting stiffly.

"Oh nothing, I was just thinking about something that happened earlier." I said with a shrug.

He gave me a long glance from the corner of his eye, hands clasped in his lap and his large feet planted firmly on the mossy wood of the porch. I had always shared everything with Gale; every little detail of our days was handed over without thought. Something inside me, a small little voice, warned that I should hold back on sharing whatever was going on between Peeta and me.

As the silence grew longer, he leaned forward, resting his long brown arms against his knees. With a flick of his head, his long black hair swung back onto his shoulders as he let out a sigh.

"You are miles away from me Catnip. Where are you?" The wind caught his words, swirling them around me before resting on the ground between us.

I turned to Gale, a thousand things rushing to my tongue but unable to let a single one be said. I hadn't had a chance to process the ride home with Peeta, and having Gale so close to me was only adding to my confusion. The brown of my hand matched his cheek as I brushed a rogue strand from Gale's forehead; I rubbed my nose gently against his cheek. A tiny smile crossed his lips before he pulled me up with him.

"I almost forgot, I brought you a deer!"

I let out a whoop, a meal that was more than vegetables and wild rice would be very welcome.

There was a loud crash and shouting that echoed down the mountains, Gale sighed.

"Sounds like it came from your house." I said with a smile.

"Oh yeah." Gale agreed, squeezing my shoulders before bounding down the steps and onto the gravel road.

"Thanks for the meat!" I called after him, but he simply raised his pointer finger up to the sky in response as he rushed home.

Back inside the cabin, my mother was preparing to roast the deer. She held a finger up to her lips before pointed them at the doorway to the bedroom. Prim and Rue were sprawled out on our bed, so I curled up on the couch to study. Long after my mother went to bed, I stayed up reading. The fire died down to embers as my eyes finally slid shut.

Finals week sped by in a blur. I had been so busy studying and worrying about exams that I hardly had any time to see anyone. Knowing that I was working for good grades purely for my own satisfaction while almost everyone else was trying to finish strong before college did make things seem easier for me.

The morning of graduation, I woke up to the strong smell of smoke and singing. Stretching out all of my limbs, I noticed the imprint of where Prim usually sleeps was still warm in the bed. The sun was below the tops of the trees, and birds were still singing their morning songs.

I slid my hand through my hair to remove any tangles and rushed outside to see my mother, Prim, the Hawthornes and several cousins sitting around the fire. They all turned and grinned at me as I walked out.

"Eh, there's the girl of the day!" Hazelle said, opening her arms to give me a hug.

I shyly hugged her back, feeling the pinches and tugs of everyone else's hands on me, showing me tiny touches of affection. My mom tugged on my elbow, pulling me into the kitchen area.

Hanging from the cabinet was a pretty blue dress. It was simple in style, the cotton worn and soft under my fingers as I ran a hand over it.

"It's lovely." I said quietly.

My mother's eyes widened and she cracked a smile; it suited her so much more than the grief and loss that she usually carried on her face.

"Well go put it on then." She shoved the dress into my arms.

I rushed back into the bedroom, closing the blanket across the door. The dress slid easily over my head, it hung loose around me until I tied the sash around my waist into a bow. The girl staring back at me from the cracked sun mirror looked grown, the blue contrasting against brown skin nicely. As I looked myself over, I glanced at the old photograph on the shelf of my mother and father when they were young. The skinny girl smiling, arms slung around the shoulders of my father as a teen, could have been me in the mirror just now. The blue of the dress was brighter than, and my mother filled out the dress in ways that I could not. My eyes turned back to my reflection, and suddenly I wondered what Peeta would think of me in this dress.

The blanket was yanked back by Prim as she poked her head in to see.

"I wish I looked like you." She said with a frown.

"Oh no, I wish I looked like you." I said back, jealously looking over her comfortable skirt and dress shirt.

Coming back out into the living area, I spotted Gale's old graduation gown hanging on the back of the rocking chair. My mother attached a tassel to the cap before placing it on my head.

"Let's get one last look at you." She said, and everyone crowded around me.

Everyone placed a hand on me, standing in a circle, and I closed my eyes and just felt the love and strength from each person seep into me from their fingertips. There was a gentle tug to my scalp as my mother braided my hair, and kissed the top of my head as she placed a mockingjay pin near my temple for luck.

I stared out the window as we all drove through the mountains. Prim and Rory were rambunctiously singing beside me in the bed of the truck. Gale sat across from me, holding his sister in his lap. The wind kept reaching out to me, and the dust from the gravel road swirled up with each turn of the truck tires.

When we arrived at the school, I lost everyone in the crowd as we all were pushed and shoved onto the field. My eyes scanned the lines of kids until I spotted Madge and Delly and rushed to them.

Delly was wearing too much eye makeup, and her curled hair was spilling out from under her cap, and glittery silver heels kept peeking out from the gown. Madge had a white dress with tiny cherries running down it; she pulled me into a jumping hug when she spotted me.

"This is lovely." Madge said, placing a finger on the mockingjay pin in my hair.

Before I could thank her we were all lined up in alphabetical order and forced to sit through speech after speech about the future. As they showed a slideshow of pictures I turned and looked out at the crowd. The dark eyes of my family met mine from up in the bleachers. Gale gave me a confident smile, mouthing something to me that I couldn't read. Prim and Rory were horsing around, all I could see was elbows and hands waving around at each other. I let out a little laugh just as the crowd was quieting down to begin the actual ceremony.

Delly was one of the first to cross the stage, smiling and waving to everyone as she accepted her diploma. When my name was called, I tried to remain stoic as I climbed up to shake my principle's hand. After he handed me my diploma, I took a few steps forward, turned and faced the crowd. My family and Gale's family stood up, cheering and letting out a triumphant song for me that echoed across the field. I stared back at them before raising my right arm straight up in the air. Gale and Rory let out a loud "hey ya hey!" at my gesture, and I beamed before rushing back to my seat.

As the names kept being called off, I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching me. I looked up to the line of students whose names were about to be called, and found Peeta staring back at me. When our eyes locked, he gave me a small smile before climbing up onto the stage. His parents and brothers politely clapped for him when he crossed, they looked as if they wanted to be anywhere else at the moment.

After the ceremony, the entire field was a mess. Parents and kids and grandparents pushed each other, and I just let the crowd push me out to the edges. Madge reached for my hand as we were pushed in opposite directions.

"Come to my house after!" She called out over the heads of others, and I nodded back.

I could see everyone waiting for me at the edge of the field, and I walked over with Gale's old cap in hand. The tassel seemed tangled with the top of the hat; I shoved it into the center of the gown as I wadded it up in my arms. A hot breeze blew across my now bare arms, and I spun around at the sound of footsteps coming toward me.

"You won't be sneaking up on me a third time." I said, smiling as Peeta slowed to a stop in front of me.

"How is it that you could hear me coming in this crowd, but not in a quiet gas station?" He asked with a laugh.

"I was having an off day." I said, gently smacking his arm.

Peeta stilled, his eyes falling on my hand where it still lay on his arm. I squeezed his arm before clutching my gown to me. He followed the motion of my arm, his eyes resting near my chest before flying up to my face. I raised an eyebrow at him, unsure what exactly he wanted. His eyes on me suddenly had me feeling very self-conscious; I hadn't worn a dress since my father's funeral. Faintly in the background I could hear Gale and Prim calling to me.

"Well, I just wanted to say congratulations…" Peeta said, finally breaking our stare down.

"Thanks, you too!" I said, swatting the air to hush the voices of my family behind me.

Our eyes locked again, and Peeta took a step toward me. The grass crunched as people approached from behind me, talking loudly. Peeta opened and closed his mouth twice, trying to choose his words carefully.

"Sorry, I had planned on asking you a question but… you just look so beautiful. I can't think straight." He said softly.

Pink spread out across his pale cheeks, making a grin spread from ear to ear on my face.

"Oh really? I didn't know I could have that effect on someone." I said.

"You have no idea." He replied.

"Look, my family's coming over to steal me away but I'll see you around?" I asked as Prim hopped onto my back.

"Yeah, I'll see you around." Peeta said.

I could feel him watching me the entire walk back to the truck. As we all piled in the bed of the truck, I turned back and waved to Peeta through the cloud of dust. I couldn't help but feel that somehow I'd disappointed him.


	7. Memories Come Back to Life

A/N: Again, thank you so much for the patience on this story; I am so sorry about how long it took me to come back to this story. I especially appreciate the people who had a prayer circle on tumblr to make me come back haha, it worked! Also, thank you for all of the reviews, it really means so much to me to know how you feel and your ideas about this story. I feel rather vulnerable, putting my culture and quite honestly some of my personal life experiences into this story, so the wonderful reviews make me feel more comfortable sharing this chapter. I think I forgot to mention but I'm sure you've noticed, I've been having the mockingjay be her family clan which is why she has both a hair pin and received a gift in this chapter with it. That'll be important for understanding what happens in ch. 8 (already halfway written) so yeah, just keep it in mind.

Chapter 7: Memories Come Back to Life

Prim barely waited for the tires of the truck to come to a stop before she flew out of it, claiming she couldn't last a moment longer wearing a skirt.

I followed at a slower pace, climbing out of the bed of the truck. I turned to look up at Gale from the ground, and he reached out to flick the mockingjay pin in my hair.

"I'll come by later to grab you for Madge's party." He said.

I nodded, waving to him through the dust as the truck drove away. As I turned to go inside I touched the prickly leaves of the blackberry bush beside the house, noticing that it had an early crop of berries ready. Following my eyes, my mother rushed to get a basket filled so that she could make some wojapi.

For four years, I had pushed through school with the knowledge that all the work would pay off when I graduated. Now that I was here, with nothing but choices ahead of me, suddenly it didn't feel as triumphant as I had expected. The porch swing creaked under me as I curled up on it, pulling my knees to my chest. Resting my cheek against one knee, a sigh I didn't know I'd been holding slowly slid from my lungs, drifting in the warm air around me.

The swing faced out toward the valley, I could see Tashunke chasing a few rez dogs around happily in the streams of sunshine that broke past the trees. The leaves on my father's tree swayed gently, drawing my eyes to them. A whisper floated to my mind, telling me to come closer.

His tree was still small; a reminder that time is not in human's hands. Every single moment since my father's death had been deeply felt within me, every second that I grew older marked an inch of space between his soul and mine. If trees grew at the same rate as a heart broke, his tree would be as tall as a redwood by now. I reached out, rubbing a leaf with my thumb and taking in each line and vein in the surface. He was here; I could feel him swirl around me like a hug.

A small sob escaped my lips before my hand could stop it, and I curled up in the forget-me-nots that surrounded the thin trunk of the tree. Their fragrance joined my father in overwhelming me. No matter how many of the tiny flowers I gripped in my fingers, they all crumbled and broke apart like an old forgotten memory.

"I wish I could hear your voice one last time, I have so much that I need to learn still." I whispered, finding the soft earth beneath me.

My father had always bragged to anyone who would listen about how smart his little girl was, the pride that he held for me was the reason I had pushed myself this far. Not having him there in the crowd cheering me on had made real what I had not noticed after all of this time. His ghost never left this place, so I had never truly felt that he was not there to share in every part of my life. The absence of him at graduation somehow shook loose a part of my broken heart that I had grown so used to, its presence within me so familiar.

The breeze that came across my face was cool, gentle. The forest quietly looked on as I lay there on top of my father's grave, holding his little tree for strength. Birds seemed to slow their songs, changing from a lament to a lullaby. My lungs filled with air, and as I opened my eyes I noticed the light had changed. Everything had grown softer as the sun fell behind the mountains, casting long shadows across my skin.

A hand came and gently rubbed my cheekbone.

"You'll need to change." My mother said, eyeing up the dirt now covering her borrowed blue dress.

I nodded, unsure how long I had been lying below the tree. She looked at me with concern before returning to her usual stoic expression, her mouth puckered into a small heart shape. The moment of concern passed so quickly, if my skin didn't still hold the memory of her touch I wouldn't think it had happened.

After digging through my room to find something clean and not too terribly wrinkled to change into, I stopped and touched the photograph of my father hanging by the door frame. His smile was so big that his almond eyes looked like slivers, just a sparkle shining through his long eyelashes. Prim came bursting through from the living area, talking loudly on her phone to Rue, drawing me fully back into the present. I slipped quietly around the blanket that separated our room from the living area and slid my feet into a worn pair of flip flops.

"Before you go out celebrating, I made you something." My mother's voice rasped from the porch.

I peered curiously at the small bundle she placed gently into my arms. The smell of newly tanned moose hide filled my nose as I looked at the beautiful moccasins that she had made me. They were fully lined in soft rabbit fur that had been dyed a deep cranberry color, and a small beaded mockingjay lay across the toes of each one. I knew how much time they must have taken my mother to make, the quiet sign of affection done in a way she was comfortable showing me.

Our eyes locked, and after a moment of silence she nodded firmly at me before standing up and rushing inside. I rubbed my fingers over the soft fur one last time before tucking them gently on the pile of shoes by the front door.

I took my time walking along the well-worn path to Gale's house. He jumped down from the porch as he saw me approaching, all ready to go. As he opened the passenger side door for me, I saw a big box in the bed of the truck full of bottles. Gale wiggled his eyebrows at me when he saw me staring at the box before we headed off the rez.

The sun was falling behind the mountains in the distance as we approached Madge's house.

There were already several cars parked in the long circle driveway, and as we headed to the back of the house music floated out as a greeting.

Gale's long arm draped across my shoulders, pulling me against his chest, as we walked out to the back patio to join everyone. I scanned the crowd, and warmth filled my body as I found a pair of blue eyes resting on mine.


	8. Waiting's Wasted Time

A/N: As it seems I start every new chapter with an apology, I'm sorry again for the delay. My new semester kicked my ass from the start so I've been really overwhelmed. This chapter, sitting half-finished for so long was weighing on my mind the entire time though. Also, I have been very busy with Idle No More. Since you are all reading this story I hope you have some interest in indigenous people and so I would recommend looking up any Idle No More protests or marches that are nearby, especially my readers in Canada and US. We Native and First Nations people need all of the support and allies we can get, our rights and way of life are being threatened currently. Anyway, hopefully this chapter was worth the wait!

Chapter 8: Waiting's Wasted Time

My eyes locked together with Peeta's from across the patio. A dimple appeared in his cheek as a small smirk crept across his lips, making a smile spread across my face as well. I felt the weight of Gale's arm across my shoulder shift and looking up I noticed him following my gaze with a cold stare. His large hand gripped the corner of my shoulder tightly, pulling me closer to his chest as he led me further into the crowd and away from Peeta.

Madge was sitting on a stone wall near the pool, sipping from a red cup but stood when she saw us approaching.

"Ahh there you are!" She shouted, grabbing me for a sloppy hug before launching herself into Gale's arms.

He gave me a look as he hugged her quickly, fixing his shirt after. She beamed at both of us and I could tell from the flush on her face that she had already started drinking.

"Delly's in the kitchen, you should go check and see if she needs any help." Madge said, moving her eyes pleadingly between me and Gale.

I nodded, getting the hint and shuffled through the crowd into the house, leaving my shoes in the back entry. The noise from all the voices outside turned to a muffled echo down the hallway, and I took my time walking through Madge's elegant home. The cold of the stone floor felt comforting against my feet as I traced a line along my path to the kitchen.

As I entered the kitchen I could see Delly struggling with a tray from the freezer. I rushed over and grabbed it from her before all of the jello shots fell to the floor.

"Oh there you are, scared me. Thought you were going to come over to help us set up." Delly said, pushing the stray strands of hair that were falling across her forehead.

"Sorry about that… got caught up in some stuff at home." I said, the image of my father's tree flashing across my mind before I pushed it away.

"Pretty much everyone from our school is here tonight, can you believe it?" Delly asked.

I peered out the large picture window above the sink, seeing the growing number of somewhat familiar faces collecting just on the other side of the glass. Delly cared so much more about those people than I did, so I tried to seem excited.

"You saw that Peeta's here, right? I think he was lookin for you when he got here." Delly casually added, peaking at me as she stirred a large punch bowl.

"I may have noticed him on my way in." I said, trying to sound equally as casual.

Delly gave me a long look before shoving the tray of jello shots into my arms. "Come on, let's get back out there. Unlike you, I don't have boys falling all over me so I'd like to try and find one."

Delly tossed me one last look before marching out to the patio with the bowl of punch. We set the drinks out on a picnic table where Madge had set out several other drinks. I stopped and looked around, noticing all of the decorations that she had put up. Fairy lights hung from all of the trees in the yard, along with lights all over and inside the old barn. A boy from our grade had set up speakers and was acting as a dj, loud music blasting through the red wood. The last rays of the sun lay against the ground in dusty orange streaks, slowly stretching out to the edge of the barn and into the fields beyond.

Madge's giggle broke my gaze, pulling me back into the party. She reached over and grabbed my arm, pulling me over to where she stood with Gale, Finnick and his girlfriend. As they stood talking, I let my eyes wander over the party until Gale's hand on my arm drew me back. He turned so that he blocked me from the rest of the group, and I frowned at the serious look on his face.

"Walk with me." He said, leading me off to a quiet spot near the edge of the pool.

The reflection of the lights on the water danced along the ground. Gale's fingers found the tip of my braid, tugging on it lightly with one hand as his other pulled something from his pocket.

"I keep trying to think of a good time to give you this, now seems as good as any." He said quietly, placing a small bundle into my hand.

I waited a second, feeling the weight of the object against my palm, before opening it. Within a small cloth sack was a beautiful beaded bear hair clip. Two strings hung from the bear, with two small stone bears. I raised my eyes to Gale's questioningly and was startled to see the intensity within his black eyes.

"I don't understand" I started before he interrupted me.

"Well, seeing as you've graduated now I thought I should probably make my intentions clear. I always figured I had plenty of time before I had to worry about all of this, but I think certain other people don't understand what we have between us so I need to claim my territory." He reached out to pin the bear in my hair, but I swatted his hand away.

"Claim your territory? As in me? What the hell Gale! You can't just put a totem on me and suddenly have that make me belong to you. I have a say in this." I said, trying to keep the anger from taking over.

"Oh come on Katniss, you knew this would happen eventually. You've always been mine. One day I'll marry you, and our kids will be bear clan just like me. I don't know why you're fighting this." He said, reaching out to me again.

This time as his arm came by my hair I dodged him, swiftly spinning around so that I was behind him and out of reach. The bear clip fell to the ground between us.

"Where is this coming from? We're best friends our whole lives! Suddenly you decide you're going to marry me and don't even ask me what I think about it? Maybe I don't want to be with you, did that even cross your mind?" Despite my best effort to keep calm, my voice rises above the music.

Gale stepped so close to me that I could hear his ragged breathing. I've never seen the expression on his face before, it was as if I was seeing him for the very first time. His anger radiated off his skin like heat from a fire, I could see it burning in his eyes as he stared down at me. Before I knew what was happening his arms were around me, I felt my back rub against bark painfully as he pressed me into a tree. He grabbed my chin with his hand, trying to pull me to him but I gave him a very loud hard slap across the jaw. Gale pulled back, his lip curled in a half snarl as he panted slightly.

"Get off of me." I shouted before shoving him away from me.

"Where are you going?" He asked, a guilty look on his face.

Instead of an answer I turned and ran down the hill away from the party. The grass felt wonderful beneath my bare feet, each step brought me strength. The stars seemed to be leading me forward, the wind blew beside me, and even the trees seemed to lean in to comfort me. I ran until I couldn't hear the music anymore, until the lights and voices were drowned by the rhythmic sound of my running and the chirps of crickets.

I slowed to a stop beside a great magnolia, taking a deep breath and letting the sweet smell of the flowers surround me. My eyes closed, and I could hear my heart slow it's pounding beat by beat. It felt like an eternity standing there, just listening to the sounds of the earth sing a quiet lullaby to my nerves. The warm breeze, smelling of wet dirt and summer, swirled around my body like a hug. When I finally opened my eyes, I noticed that the sun was gone from the sky, leaving only a small line of pale green on the horizon as inky blue night came in. Lightning bugs came to fill the space beneath the early stars, swaying with the wildflowers.

A twig snapped, bringing my eyes back toward the party. A shape made its way slowly through the field, one lone shadow slipping in and out of the tall grass easily. As they got close enough for me to make out who they were, a small smile spread across my lips. The cautious gait along with the outline of well-developed shoulders and arms gave Peeta away. He slowed to a stop at the edge of the field, one hand holding onto his other arm.

"What are you doing all the way out here?" I asked, stepping forward from under the tree.

In the light of dusk, I could see his face clearly. His brow was furrowed in concern, and there was a pain in his eyes that shocked me. They made me want to reach out and comfort him, though I didn't know for sure why. All of the things that had happened between us in such a short amount of time made me feel like I knew him, yet the boy standing before me was still such a mystery. The one thing I was sure of was that I wanted to be closer to him. My feet moved without my permission, taking a big step closer to him.

"Wanted to make sure you were alright." he said after a moment's hesitation.

I gave a tiny nod of my head yes, and before I had a chance to look up Peeta had closed the gap between us so that he was standing directly in front of me. Our eyes locked, and I felt blood rush straight to my face. I was thankful for the moonlight; Peeta couldn't see the red covering my cheeks just from being so close to him. We stood there, between the magnolia tree as it gently dropped flowers down around us like a curtain. The warm southern night seemed to wrap us up into it; there was something between us that just felt so right.

"I'll be fine. Gale doesn't mean any harm I don't think." I said, trying to fill the silence.

Peeta bit his lip, clearly wrestling with what he was going to say next.

"Did you two break up?" He finally asked.

I held back a laugh. "We were never together; he's been like a brother to me."

Peeta's face completely changed, shock wiping off the frown that he'd been wearing. I could see the gears turning in his mind as he took this information in.

"All this time… man I've been so stupid." He said, shaking his head as he let out a laugh.

I raised an eyebrow at him and he shyly looked down at me with a smile so warm it spread to me. Before I knew what was happening, we both burst out laughing. His laugh was rich, coming from deep inside of him and fluttering up past the trees toward the sky.

As our laughter died down, we stood smiling widely at each other. Peeta looked around before nodding his head toward a fence near the barn. I followed a step behind, watching his form move through the tall grass. He leaned up against the fence, his strong wide shoulders on display in the glow of the lights strung up on the barn. The contours of the muscles in his body seemed impossible to look away from, my eyes roamed across his entire frame. I took my time; there was still enough darkness to give me courage that I otherwise would have lacked. Peeta seemed to grow aware of my scrutiny; I saw the muscles in his stomach flex as he straightened out a bit.

A clearing of his throat drew my eyes back up to his face. Suddenly a thought struck me.

"Why did you all change your mind about me?" I asked, climbing up to sit on the fence.

Peeta cocked his head at me, contemplating his answer. "What do you mean?"

"Why are you suddenly nice to me? We've known of each other all of this time, and you never spoke a single word to me. Now here you are searching through a field to find me in the dark…" I let my words trail off into the heavy air.

There was movement as Peeta climbed up onto the fence to sit beside me. He turned his head up to the sky and stared up, those big eyes reflecting all of the stars. A long moment passed between us, so long that I feared that he was offended by my question.

A small sound came from his throat before speaking. "I've been dying to come up with a clever way to talk to you for years. Years. The moment you walked into that school with your long black braids, nose in the air, I felt this… need to have you in my life. I just couldn't figure out how to talk to you, and then when we got older and you just kept getting more and more beautiful… it got harder to imagine you'd ever want to know me back." His voice came out so soft, I had to lean in to hear.

"You were intimidated by me? You're one of the most popular guys in town Peeta. I'm just some poor outsider." I said, looking at my knees.

"You are so much more than that." Peeta said, nudging his knee against mine.

Something fluttered in my stomach at the contact, making me flush as I looked up at Peeta. He had been looking down at our knees as well, when he looked up a strange emotion flooded my entire body. He bumped my knee with his again, and when I nudged his back and scooted a little closer a smile crept across his mouth.

"So if I was so intimidating, what changed?" I asked, focusing on the warmth of his leg against mine.

Peeta shifted, glancing out of the corner of his eyes at me. Even in the light of the southern moon hanging above us, I could see that his cheeks were colored. A bridge of pink went across his nose and all the way to his ears. His brow furrowed, and again I worried that I had offended him or pushed him too far. Crickets and heat bugs sang out, filling the humid air with music as we sat in silence.

"I don't know how to answer that without scaring you off." Peeta said finally.

The defeat in his voice was hard to take. I turned to him, reaching out and touching his arm. When he looked up at me, there was something deeply sad within his eyes.

"I knew that I'd never see you again after graduation. It killed me, picturing you out there somewhere, going on with your life. Not knowing how much I … care about you." He hesitated before looking back up at me through his eyelashes.

His words reached me slowly; I let them swirl over and over in my head as I tried to digest them. He's cared about me this entire time. So much so that he actually pictured my life without him and it hurt him. The realization of what he was trying to tell me hit me like a ton of bricks.

"Well I know now." I said.

Peeta's brow furrowed further at my words, his mouth falling open slightly. I had the sudden urge to run my thumb over his full bottom lip. He noticed my gaze and very slowly ran the tip of his tongue along his lip, smirking when I took in a quick breath.

"Come here." He said.

Gently picking me up from the fence he spun me around in his arms. A huge smile swept across my face at the action. I slid slowly down his chest until I was standing on tip toes, and grabbed one of his hands while the other held onto his shoulder. His smile was cautious, unsure as he watched me. I began to dance, slowly swaying back and forth in rhythm with the crickets until Peeta followed along. The faint sound of a slow song drifted down to us from the party, making it easier to keep rhythm. As we danced, I rested my head against his chest. His heart was beating so fast I thought surely it would fly straight out of his chest. When I leaned my head up to look at him, Peeta had his eyes closed. There was a look on his face that I couldn't quite register. He looked both at peace and ecstatic, his mouth kept creeping up further and further into a grin.

Peeta stilled as the song finished, his hand moving from my shoulder to the small of my back. His large palm almost completely covered my waist as he gently pressed me closer to him.

Tentatively he reached out a hand to me, and when I didn't pull away he gently grazed the outline of my cheekbone with the palm of his hand. A sigh released itself from deep within my chest at his touch. The hand that was resting against my cheek pulled me forward, and I closed my eyes as our noses touched. I rubbed my nose slowly against his, my breath hitching in my chest as he stilled me with his hands. His lips ghosted over mine, so gentle I wasn't sure if I'd imagined it. My hands slid up to his neck, my fingers finding his hair, and pressed my lips firmly to his. It was the first time I had ever kissed someone; I was surprised by the jolt that went from my lips straight through my entire body to my toes. I pulled back, sure that my hair would be standing on end.

"I couldn't stand the thought of not being with you." He whispered.


End file.
